Bath seat



June 7, 1966 B. A. GAY 3,254,615

BATH SEAT Filed April 16, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 lll 37 27 1/ L|||| r Mlmx. mul .I

"""M muunummmlul INVENTOR.

Benmmin Aay By *9mm Q, gmk? June 7, 1966 B, A, GAY 3,254,615

BATH SEAT Filed April 16, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

IN VEN TOR.

Benjamin A. Gay BY June 7, 1966 B. A. GAY 3,254,615

BATH SEAT Filed April 16, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 3

INVENToR. Benjamin A. Gay

@wha Q. smak United States Patent O BATH SEAT Benjamin A. Gay, '72 S. Forge Manor Drive Phoenixville, Pa.

Filed Apr. 16, 1964, Ser. No. 360,378 2 Claims. (Cl. 10S- 134) The present invention relates to a bath seat and more particularly to a bath seat assembly which is mechanically operated. The present bath seat assembly is adapted to use in standard bath tubs and maybe compactly folded intoY an inconspicuous cabinet when not in use.

'Ihe bath Yseat of the present invention comprises a seat member, a pair of supporting arms attached to opposite edges of the seat member, a pair of spaced rollers positioned on one side of each supporting arm along the portion of the arm positioned farthest from said seat member, and a vertical guide means having at least one pair of parallel contact surfaces. One pair of the spaced rollers is positioned in contact with each pair of parallel contact surfaces. Suitably the Vertical guide means consists of a pair of vertical guide rails. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention one pair of each pair of the `spaced rollers is positionedastraddle each of the parallel guide rails. Preferably the present bath seat assembly includes a cross-member mounted between the' supporting arms and includes a vraising and lowering means attached to the cross member -to raise and lower the seat. The present assembly may also include a mounting plate having the guide rails mounted thereon and in spaced relation thereto.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the uppermost portion of the vertical guide rails are off-set in a direction away yfrom the mounting plate. The supporting arms may also have an loff-set therein. The arms are suitably off-set along a portion of the supporting arms 'located farthest from the seat member and are off-set in a direction toward the guide rails.

The present invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings which show preferred embodiments of the present invention and in which similar components are identified 'by similar numbers throughout each of the several views. FIGURE 1 is a prospective view of the bath seat assembly of the present invention which includes a raising and lowering mechanism. FIGURE l also shows an embodiment of the invention wherein the seat member is moveable in a sidewise manner. FIGURE 2 is a prospective View of a typical bathroom containing a bath tub equipped with a bath seat similar to that shown iin FIGURE l. FIGURE 3 is a prospective view of a portion of a guiderail showing an alternate means of supporting the seat member along two contact surfaces located within the guide rails.

Referring now to FIGURE l in detail, a rigid frame 11, preferably fabricated of a metal such as steel, provides support for a pair of generally parallel, spaced guide rails 13 and 13 spaced from frame =11. Suitably frame 11 `and rails 13 and 13 may be a single component or, as illustrated, rails 13 and 13 may be attached to and spaced from frame 11 by means of spacers v15, 15', 17 and 1-7. Spacers V17 and 17' may also serve as stops to fix the lowermost position of the bath seat 19. Bath seat 19 is equipped with generally parallel supporting'arms 21 and 21 attached thereto by' hinge members 23 and 23. A pair of spaced rollers .24 and 24' are mounted on arm member 21' so that roller 24 is located on one side of guide rail 13 on contact surface 26 and roller 24 is Vlocated on the opposite side of arm 21 on contact surface 26. Arm member 21 is equipped with roller members 25 and 25 so that one member of the roller pair is on one side of arm member 21 on contact surface 28, and

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the other member of the roller pair is positioned on the opposite side of arm member 21 on contact surface 28. Roller members 24, 24', 25 and 25 incontact with lthe contact surfaces of guide rails2'1 and 21' support' seat member 19 at a fixed angle to the guide rails and allow the seat member to 'be raised and lowered while so supported. I As shown in FIGURE l, yguide rails 13 and -13 have off-set portions 27 and 27'. The off-set portions 27 and 27 of the guide rails allow a vertical alignment of the seat supporting arms and the guide rails when the roller members 24 and 25 pass over the off-set portions of the guide rails. Suitably supporting arms 21 and 21 may also be equipped with off-set portions 22 and 22?, off-set in a direction generally toward guide rails 13 and 13. 'I'he latter off-set combined with the previously described off-set in the guide rails facilitates easy vertical alignment of supporting arms 21 and 21 and guide rails 13 and 13'. A cross member 31 is positioned between seat supporting arms 21 and-21. A suitable raising and lowering means 29 lis connected to move the seat support arms, preferably through a connection to the cross member 31 by a suitable linkage 33. Linkage 33- connects the motivating source 29 with the seat assembly and may, for example, be a cable, a rod, or a screw. The raising and lowering means may be operated by any suitable available energy source, for example, electrical, pneumatic, orhydraulic sources are suited to perform'tbe raising and lowering operations. Preferably a suitable con'- trol for the raising and lowering means is llocated at a position convenient for the user of the bath seat. However, a remotecontrol may be desirable from a safety standpoint and may eas-ily be adapted to the present device. If the raising and lowering means 29 is electrically operated, it is preferred for safety purposes to use a low voltage relay control system. A 6 to l2 volt control circuit is aptly suited for this purpose.

As shown in FIGURE l, the bath seat assembly of the present invention may be mounted to provide horizontal movement of the seat member to facilitate entry to and exit from the bath tubby the user by means of a mounting frame 37 and a pivoting means, such as hinges 39 and 39' positioned Ibetween frame 37 and base plate 11. This arrangement allows base plate 11 with the appended seat member to pivot about hinge members 39 and 39' so that seat member 19 may be moved horizontally from a position directly over a bath tub to a position of chair height above the floor and to one side of the bath tub.

FIGURE 2 shows a view ofthe bath seat of the present invention embodied in a mounted cabinet and installed in a typical bathroom. The dashed lines represent the bath seat as shown in FIGURE lpin position to be used. FIGURE 2 shows a seat-cabinet unit 41 installed on 'wall 45 over bath tub 47 in a typical bathroom. The lower front portion of cabinet 41 is the bottom of the fbase portion of seat 19. The seat support arms land guide rails have Ibeen vertically aligned as described above, allowing compact storage of the entire assembly within the contines of cabinet 41. Cabinet 41 is .suit- -ably hinged to a mountingv frame 37 to allow horizontal movement` of the bath seat when the seat is in an extended position. A suitable control means, for example,

rail 30. This arrangement allows supporting arm 211 to move vertically at a xed angle to guide rail 30.

Thepresent assembly is preferably fabricated of corrosion-resistant materials. Stainless steel is particularly suited to use in the present devices.

What is claimed is:

1. A -bath seat comprising a seat member, having a pair of opposite edges,

a pair of supporting arms attached to said opposite edges of said seat member,

a pair of spaced rollers positioned on each supporting arm along the portion of said arms positioned farthest from said seat member,

a pair of spaced vertical guide rails each of said vertical guide rails having one pair of said rollers positioned astraddle thereof and in contact therewith,

said seat member being held immovable in a horizontal plane and movable in a vertical plane by the contact of said rollers and said vertical guide rails.

2. A bath seat comprising a Seat member, having a pair of opposite edges,

a pair of supporting arms attached to said opposite edges of said seat member,

each supporting arm having a pair of spaced rollers positioned on one side thereof along the portion of said arm located farthest from said Seat member,

a pair of spaced Vertical guide rails, each of said ver- 4 tical guide rails having one pair of said rollers positioned astraddle thereof, and in contact therewith, said seat member being held immovable in a horizontal plane and movable in a vertical plane by the Contact of said rollers and said vertical Iguide rails, said vertical guide rails mounted in spaced relation on a mounting plate, said vertical guide rails having an off-set portion in the uppermost portion thereof in a direction away from said plate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,604,636 7/1952 m1615611 4 185 2,664,142 12/1953 scheauerman 24a- 124 3,071,779 1/1963 Turner 44-185 3,078,473 2/1963 Daniels 4 -185 3,078,475 2/1963 Turner 4 .1s5 3,091,778 6/1963 Cross 4 185 3,166,282 1/1965 Nolan 248-124 FOREIGN PATENTS 597,599 1/1948 Great Britain.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

G. O. FINCH, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BATH SEAT COMPRISING A SEAT MEMBER, HAVING A PAIR OF OPPOSITE EDGES, A PAIR OF SUPPORTING ARMS ATTACHED TO SAID OPPOSITE EDGES OF SAID SEAT MEMBER, A PAIR OF SPACED ROLLERS POSITIONED ON EACH SUPPORTING ARM ALONG THE PORTION OF SAID ARMS POSITIONED FARTHEST FROM SAID SEAT MEMBER, A PAIR OF SPACED VERTICAL GUIDE RAILS EACH OF SAID VERTICAL GUIDE RAILS HAVING ONE PAIR OF SAID ROLLERS POSITIONED ASTRADDLE THEREOF AND IN CONTACT THEREWITH, SAID SEAT MEMBER BEING HELD IMMOVABLE IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE AND MOVABLE IN A VERTICAL PLANE BY THE CONTACT OF SAID ROLLERS AND SAID VERTICAL GUIDE RAILS. 